Bronx woman sentenced to 18 years for fatal whitestone expressway crash

QUEENS, NY — A Bronx woman who killed a 62-year-old Uber passenger while racing at over 120 miles per hour on the Whitestone Expressway was sentenced to 18 years in prison, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Tuesday.

Melissa Rodriguez-Lopez, 29, of Kossuth Avenue in the Bronx, pleaded guilty earlier this month to manslaughter in the first degree and assault in the first degree. Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise handed down the sentence, which followed a crash on May 27, 2023, that claimed the life of Uber passenger Steven Spaulding, of Brooklyn.

According to court records, at approximately 3 a.m., Rodriguez-Lopez was driving a 2015 Lexus RC350 at 123 mph while racing other vehicles near the Whitestone Bridge. She rear-ended a Toyota Corolla transporting Spaulding. The impact caused significant damage to both vehicles, deploying the Lexus’ airbags. Spaulding sustained spinal injuries that led to a fatal stroke, and the Uber driver was left with serious neck and body injuries.

Rodriguez-Lopez fled the scene with another racer, abandoning the wrecked vehicle. Hours later, she filed a false stolen vehicle report at the NYPD’s 52nd Precinct. Investigators used vehicle data from her Lexus to confirm her speed at the time of the crash and surveillance video to disprove her alibi.

“Racing on our highways and similar pursuits are not merely thrill-seeking escapades, they are a deadly threat to public safety,” DA Katz said, adding that the sentence delivers justice for the victim and a measure of solace to his family.

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